The invention concerns a horseshoe-like hoof pad of plastic material having two legs, which can be adapted to the size of the hoof of horses by means for changing their distance with respect to one another having the form of a connecting bar bridging these legs of the pad within the area of their ends and engaging the legs, which pad having a lower surface contacting the underground and an upper surface contacting the hoof, which lower surface is provided with profile elements.
Such horseshoe-like hoof pads are known for instance from European patent No. 893,057 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,519,079. The known hoof pad of plastic material is open between its two legs which are thus separated with respect to one another within the spread portion of the hoof, the socalled frog portion. The hoof pad is provided with openings by which the pad is fixed with nails to the so called white line of the hoof.
The above mentioned known horseshoes are characterized especially by the feature that they can be adapted to different hoof sizes by spreading the legs of the pad in the area of their ends resulting therein that one size of pad are suited for different hoof sizes because the requested hoof pad size can be received by using plate like connecting bars between the ends of the legs spreading or contracting, respectively, these ends as the case may be so that the row of openings within the pad covers the respective white fine of the hoof for nailing the pad to the hoof. The known connecting means are characterized by different configurations, such for instance a clip having a free end, which is adjustable and can be connected to the opposite other leg end by screwing, gluing or welding. Moreover, bar elements are also proposed which are shiftable with respect to one another, bridging the distance between the ends of the legs of the hoof pad by means of connecting screws.
In each case the known bar like connecting means are structured such that they only connect the ends of the legs limiting the width of the spread legs of the hoof but do not form a homogeneous closure of the ends of the legs. Thus, the connecting means are either asymmetrically configured and arranged with respect to the longitudinal axis of the hoof pad, covering only one leg or in case of a symmetrical configuration and arrangement the connecting bars establish only a point-like connection between the two legs by means of screws fixing the bar or bars to the ends of the legs such that screw bars are necessary at the ends of the legs corresponding bores within the connecting bars receiving corresponding screws.
Moreover, hoof pads are known which are provided with a nap-like profile on the bottom surface of the pad comprising several naps connected to one another by the height of which is less than the height of the naps. This structure of the bottom surface of the hoof pad should be a bar against sliding of the horseshoe on the bottom.
It has been find out that the attachment of the hoof pad by means of nails known in the art requesting precise adjustment of the pad on the hoof so that the nails hit the so called white line of the hoof is a time consuming and rather complicated procedure because of the fact that the point of the nails often intend to move laterally upon hitting the nails with a hammer because of the flexibility of the plastic material of the pad so that the so-called white line is failed.
One of the objects of the subject invention is to improve the connection of the ends of the legs and especially to structure the ends such that the transfer of pressure forces will be possible over essentially the entire front surfaces of the ends of the legs by means of the bar like connecting body transmitting these forces of the pad introduced by the weight of the horse during the movement of the horse at a walking, trotting or galloping pace. Moreover, this bar like connecting body should simultaneously fulfil the object of an insert keeping the ends of the legs under tension in the requested distance with respect to one another.
A further object of the invention is to provide a connection or joining between the two legs of the horseshoe-like hoof pad forming a bar of a clover-leaf configuration having a thickness essentially similar to the thickness of the legs within the area of their ends and which can be inserted into respectively configured openings within those ends of the leg having the same configuration as said connecting bar. Furthermore, the connecting body could be structured such that it is more simply and less cost intensive to manufacture than the known devices of such a kind.
Moreover, the construction of the connecting bar should be such that several connecting bars of different sizes can be used for one and the same hoof pad in order to spread or contract the legs of the pad for adapting them to the size of the hoof of the horse without needing additional elements for securing or fastening the connecting bar at the pad.
A still further object to be solved by the invention is to provide the bottom surface of the hoof pad with profile bodies or elements so that the nails for attaching the hoof pad to the hoof can be more precisely guided during hammering home and especially the heads of the nails do not extend over the profile bodies.
In this connection, it is a further object to be solved to provide an improved adjustment of the hoof pad with respect to the arrangement of the nails within the hoof.
These and other objects are solved by the invention by providing the connecting bar between the ends of the legs of the hoof pad as a flat, separate, snug fit complementary piece completing essentially the circumferential configuration of the ends of the legs in order to join them, which piece being provided with lateral flat bars insertable into corresponding recesses in the surface of the ends of both legs such that these ends are maintained under tension.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, at least some of the profile bodies on the bottom surface of the hoof pad are configured as holes provided with elevations forming recesses into which nails can be placed so that their head is surrounded by an edge or wall.
By such a snug fit piece between the ends of the legs of the hoof pad these legs are maintained fixed and are spread under load in a less extend than in those cases which uses connecting means for the two leg ends only on one side of the pad or a curved narrow bar connecting the two leg ends. The snug fit piece according to the invention is in accordance with an advantageous embodiment provided with a configuration or shape being symmetrical to the longitudinal axis of the hoof pad and thus to the legs. This is in so far advantageous because this configuration counteracts the forces introduced into the legs of the hoof pad during the use thereof which forces intend to deform the leg ends. This counteraction is based on the fact that because of the special configuration of the circumference of the snug fit piece the retaining forces of that piece are transmitted into an essentially larger cross section of the leg end so that the connecting bar cannot brake under load as it does in prior art devices of such a kid. This is of essential importance, because the resistance against deformation of the plastic material under the influence of pressure and temperature is smaller than that one of iron as the usual material of horseshoes.
Moreover, the snug fit piece as the connecting element for the leg ends of the hoof pad can be relatively simply adapted to hoofs of different sizes and especially different positions of the so called white line of the hoof which is solely suited for the reception of fastening means, for instance nails or screws. The above structure of the hoof pad according to the invention has the advantage that a definite hoof pad size can be enlarged in the spreading or frog area of the hoof in a certain extend by means of different sized snug fit piece. Thus, it is possible to adapt one and the same hoof pad to different hoof sizes of the horse without using complicated adapting means.
In this connection it has been found out as especially advantageous to provide the snug fit piece of the connecting bar with two flat, lateral clover-leafike wings and one centre piece connecting these two wings which wings correspond with respect to their configuration to recesses within the ends of the legs provided with circumferential lines or edges running inclined to the longitudinal axis of the hoof pad.
The above mentioned circumferential lines are advantageously comprised of three essentially straight parts and two S-configured, bent parts, joining the straight parts. Thus, the snug fit piece has a configuration similar to that one of a clover-leaf.
In accordance with a further advantageous embodiment of the subject invention a straight part of the circumferential line is provided at the inner circumference and the outer circumference of each leg end, both straight inner and outer parts are inclined and opposite to one another with respect to the longitudinal axis of the hoof pad. In this connection it is possible that a third straight part positioned between the straight inner part and the straight outer part of the circumferential line and joined through the two S-configured bent parts with the latter ones runs inclined to the longitudinal axis of the hoof pad in accordance with the straight outer part so that the snug fit piece corresponds to the edges of the leg ends surrounding that piece having a conical seat. By such a seat the spreading of the hoof pad within the spreading area of the hoof is improved and moreover it can be avoided that the snug fit piece slides out of that area. Attention is drawn especially to the fact that the construction of the hoof pad can be such that the outer circumference and the inner circumference of the leg ends are continued by the other circumferential line and, respectively, lower circumferential line of the snug fit piece so that the smug fit piece is a flat complementary piece of the leg ends. In case the leg ends are bent in the direction to the head portion of the hoof pad the upper circumferential line of the snug fit piece is bent convexly and the lower circumferential line is bent concavely and both lines are symmetrically arranged with respect to the longitudinal axis of the hoof pad.
In order to make the snug fit piece on the one hand concisely ending with the surface of the hoof pad, especially one of the leg ends, but on the other hand to provide for the snug fit piece within the leg ends a support avoiding sliding through, it has been found especially advantageous to provide the elevated centre part of the snug fit piece with an upper side opposite to the hoof pad surface being in the same level as the surface of the lateral wings and being concise with the surface of the leg ends. In this connection, the bottom side of the snug fit piece adjacent to the hoof pad surface can be stepped in order to form the elevated centre part, so that the two wings are separated from the thicker centre part caused by edges limiting an opening within the hoof pad and thus covering the opening edge surrounding the separated supporting faces of the leg ends.
Moreover, it has been found to be advantageous to adjust the hoof pad during the mounting on the surface of the hoof pad with respect to the white line of the hoof by shifting the hoof pad laterally so that the head of the nails can be counter sunk with certainty in the bottom surface of the hoof pad. In this connection the bottom of the respective recesses provided with a thickness less than the thickness of the pad, because the nail can then be better hit, as there is less plastic material to be removed by the nails.
In order to further improve the above mentioned advantage the bottom of the recess can be provided with at least one hole for the reception of the tip or the shaft, respectively of the nail. Moreover, to take for the edge of the recess or the hole, respectively, like elevations, the height thereof corresponds essentially to that one of the head of the nail, whereas the length of the hole-like recess is sizeed for the correct placing of the nail and should therefore correspond to at least the two fold length of the nail.
The above mentioned elevations formed by the edges surrounding the holes are advantageously configured as slots, positioned in the front area of the hoof pad so that during mounting thereof they are arranged on the so called white line into which the nails are hammered.